ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — A massive project is proposed in the southern part of St. Johns County.
It would have thousands of homes, a new interstate interchange, and a retail area similar to the St. Johns Town Center.
At the western tip of Watson Road in St. Augustine, the street really does end, and a dirt path extends. A forest is on one side, and a neighborhood is on the other.
"It’s changed so much in five years," Donna King said. She lives in that neighborhood, Deerfield Trace, along with Gerry and John Anzalone.
Right now, they’re the closest to a proposed development called Parrish Farms. And it’s a big project.
The 2,800-acre proposal would straddle I-95. Over 3,700 homes are proposed, 600 hotel rooms, and 4-million square feet of commercial and industrial space. That’s a bit bigger than what was planned at Durban Park in northern St. Johns County.
The developer, Chris Shee, called it the St. Johns Town Center of the South.
"The motivation behind this project is to bring high-quality development to the southern part of the county," Shee said.
It would also extend little Watson Road, west to I-95. The project would also create interstate exit and on-ramps between the State Road 207 and State Road 206 exits.
But, reviews are mixed.
"I think it’s a good plan for the future, but I also like my quiet little community," King said. She said surely Watson Road would have more traffic and noise on it.
"I’m not excited about it, really not," said Gerry Anzalone. "I like being isolated in this neighborhood."
Her husband Gerry Anzalone said, "At the same time I like the idea we could get to 95 faster."
However, King said the roads currently in place need help first.
"They’ve built a lot of houses back here, we need better access," she said.
"We’ve really reached a boiling point," Jane West said. She's the Policy and Planning Director with 1,000 Friends of Florida and says this is sprawl development that St. Johns County cannot handle.
"Everyone is starting to feel the pressure on our infrastructure, schools, traffic, parking, we’re feeling it," she said.
But the developer, Shee, said he’s planning for the traffic and environmental impacts.
"It’s not just throwing more rooftops up, that’s not my intention when developing," he said.
The project is still in the application stage with the county government. if approved, Shee said it would take about 20 years to build out.
